Griffins drop 2-0 lead in loss to Toronto Marlies

The Grand Rapids Griffins' former Toronto Marlies' alums had a bumpy outing in their return to the Ricoh Coliseum on Saturday night. Jeremy Williams scored the Griffins' first goal against Toronto, but Kris Newbury took two of the Griffins' nine penalties, including a boarding call which inadvertently helped the Marlies launch a three-goal comeback, dropping GR by a 3-2 tally.

Let's just say that the loss wasn't particularly timely, as the Griffins' website's recap notes:

October 11, Griffinshockey.com: The Griffins struck first when Jeremy Williams notched an unassisted
goal against his former team at 13:35 of the first period. From just
inside the blue line, Williams picked off a Toronto breakout attempt
and walked in on the right wing side to put a wrist shot over the glove
of James Reimer.

Grand Rapids then claimed a two-goal lead in the final second of the
opening period. Mattias Ritola carried the puck out of the left corner,
and drawing coverage to the middle of the rink, he left a drop pass for
Doug Janik who unleashed a one-time rocket for his first goal as a
Griffin.

In the second period, Toronto cut their deficit in half when
standout Jiri Tlusty scored at the 11:28 mark. Carl Gunnarsson
corralled the puck deep in the Griffins zone, and sent a pass to Tlusti
who was waiting patiently in the slot. With plenty of time and space,
Tlusty used a forehand-backhand move to beat Daniel Larsson.

Toronto scored the equalizer at 19:41 of the second period. Juraj Mikus
picked up the puck at the top of the right circle, and put a wrist shot
into the top left corner of the net to beat Larsson, who was screened
by a gathering in front of his crease.

Both teams had ample opportunity to take the lead in the final 20
minutes. The Marlies had a two-man advantage midway through the third
period, but Larsson stood strong, stopping a flurry of shots under
strong pressure. Finally, with just :36 remaining in regulation,
Toronto took their first lead of the night. Tlusty entered the
Griffins’ zone along the left side boards, and centered a pass to Andre
Deveaux who tipped the puck through Larsson’s pads for the eventual
game-winner.

The Marlies' website and the Grand Rapids Press posted capsule recaps, leaving the Canadian Press to record the players' take on the game...and the only real comment of note is that a Toronto Maple Leafs game and a Marlies game on the same night mean that all of 1,786 fans watched the Baby Leafs play.